Ciaran Lavery wins NI Music Prize 2016

Local singer songwriter Ciaran Lavery’s second album, Let Bad In was selected as the best release of the year by a selection of music industry and media figures from Northern Ireland.

2016 has been an incredible year already for Ciaran, from clocking up over 56 million streams on Spotify, to performing at Willie Nelson’s ranch as part of South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, as well as touring the USA, Canada and Europe.

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He is currently recording his third record and plans to release a live album on December 9.

The NI Music Prize is produced by the Oh Yeah music centre, Belfast’s dedicated music hub, and is also supported by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The event is the culmination of a nine-day celebration of gigs, showcases, workshops and community events called Sound of Belfast.

Billy Ocean announces Irish dates

Billy Ocean will be performing at The Waterfront Hall next May. Photo: Featureflash/Shutterstock.com

BILLY Ocean will be making his way to Ireland in May next year following the release of his new album Here You Are: The Best of Billy Ocean.

The new album is a 2CD set featuring a personal collection of Billy’s interpretations of songs alongside a career spanning celebration of his biggest hits.

Billy Ocean will play Vicar St, Dublin on May 12 and The Waterfront, Belfast on May 13. Tickets priced €48 / £27.50 – £38 go on sale this Friday, November 18, at 9am.

AEROSMITH BRING FAREWELL TOUR TO DUBLIN

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Aerosemith are getting back together next year for a marathon world tour, which includes a June stop-off in Dublin’s 3Arena.

Tickets priced between €89.50 and €109.50 go on sale on this Friday, November 18.

Aerosmith will play Dublin next year. Photo: Tinseltown/Shutterstock.com

THE VAMPS RETURN

British pop band, The Vamps, have just announced their tour plans for next year. The boys will play at the SSE Arena on May 10 and the 3Arena, Dublin, on May 8.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday, November 19 at 10am.

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Rory Graham is Rag’n’Bone Man.

Rag’n’Bone Man is Rory Graham a British singer songwiter. He has been described as a ‘music man’ from an early age, his mother is an acclaimed singer and his father an accomplished guitarist.

He grew up in East Sussex,where at the age of 15 he was MC’ing with a drum and basscrew using the handle Rag ‘N’ Bonez, inspired by 1970’s British sitcom Steptoe and Son.

At 19, encouraged by his father, Graham sang at a blues jam in a local pub. He self-released an EP called Blues Town and was receiving bookings for acoustic gigs.

Around 2011, Graham started working with hip hop label High Focus, releasing a number of recordings with them.

In 2013 Graham signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell which meant that he was able to pursue his music career full-time.

In 2014, Ran’nBone Man released an EP, ‘Wolves’ which was then followed up in 2015 by another EP ‘Disfigured’.

His current and first hit single ‘Human’ was released in July 2016. It has already peaked at number one in Austria, Germany and Switzerland and has started to pick up a lot of airplay in the UK. Debut album is soon expected.